Buffet counter and bar



Dec. 1, 1953 J. M. DINKEN 2,661,258

BUFFET COUNTER AND BAR Filed March 21, 1951 I9 20 23 FIGA 2| 22 INVENTOR. Jock Dinken ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED TENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

' My invention is an improved buffet cabinet, intended primarily for dispensing beverages and other refreshments.

An important object of this invention is to provide a cabinet that is built to enclose storage space and. further comprises a serving counter with a movable member or shelf that can be set up or collapsed; the cabinet being designed to be mounted on a wall or other support, so that when the cabinet is not needed, it can be closed and the movable member folded down; and when the cabinet is opened, the movable member is lifted into position for use.

Another object is to provide a cabinet having a closure member that, in open position, is adapted to act as a support for the movable member aforesaid; which then cooperates with the top of the cabinet to present a counter or bar and facilitate the use of the cabinet and the handling of the contents.

These and other objects and the advantages of the improvement are clearly set forth in the ensuing description, and the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings. But this disclosure is by way of example only and variations in structural details may of course be adopted without deviation from the general plan of the cabinet as defined in the appended claim.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cabinet with the closure member open and the shelf resting thereon.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet with the closure member shut and the other member collapsed; and

Figures 3 and 4 show sectional details.

The wall or other support is indicated at I, and the cabinet at 2. The body of the cabinet has the form of a casing with back 3, sides 4 and 5, bottom 6 and top I. It contains shelves 8 for flasks of liquid, decanters, glasses and other equipment and supplies. The front of the cabinet has a closure member 9, secured to the outer edge of one of the sides by hinges l0, and this member can be held shut by a suitable catch, such as a hook II on its free edge to engage a stud or eyelet I2 against the opposite side 4 of the cabinet 2.

The closure member 9 is high enough to extend from the top of the cabinet down to the floor Is at the bottom of the wall, and this member 9 bears at the lower edge near the outer corner a roller or caster I4 to engage the floor I3. When the closure member is opened, the roller moves over the floor and prevents the member 9 from sagging. To the top I of the cabinet is attached a shelf or flap i5 by hinges I6. This flap is not as wide as the top I of the cabinet, and one edge is in line with the side 5. When the member 9 is closed, the flap hangs down in vertical position as shown in Figure 2, over the outer face of the member 9, but when this member 9 is pulled open, the flap or extension I5 is first lifted and then maintained in horizontal position, flush with the top I of the cabinet, resting on the upper edge of the member 9. (See Figure 1.) The top I and the flap l5 then present an L-shaped serving counter extending across the cabinet and away therefrom; and the member 9 propped by the roller I 4, acts as a support for the weight of whatever is placed upon the top 7 and the flap or extension I5. Within the cabinet some of the shelves 8 can have pockets or recesses H for bottles and decanters. The shelves may rest on pins I8 in the sides of the cabinet, or be mounted and secured by any other suitable means.

When the cabinet is not needed, the member 9 is closed and the hinged member I5 hangs by its hinges from the top '1 down upon the outer face of the member 9. At other times the closure member 9 is opened and the member 9 is swung outward away from the cabinet 2; the shelf I5 is also raised and rests on the top edge of the member 9.

The member 9 of course is so dimensioned and connected to the cabinet, that it fits when closed, against the front edges of the sides 4 and 5 and bottom 6, while the top I can overlap the upper edge of the member 9. The hinges for the member I5 are affixed to its under face and the inner face of the top I. The flap can then hang in true vertical position, with one face in full contact with the member 9.

To avoid friction and attrition, the under face of the member I5 has a metal strip I9, curved on the arc of a circle, concentric with the corner of the cabinet at the front edge of the side 5. In the upper edge of the member I5 is an antifriction ball 29 which makes contact with the strip or track I9 when the member 9 is opened. This ball is mounted in a bushing 2| embedded in the upper edge of the member 9, and pushed up by a spring 22. The end of the bushing is open but contracted to prevent the ball from being expelled by the spring 22. This bushing can be secured by a bindin screw 23 in the member 9. Hence, if the attendant, in opening the member 9, is careless and does not first lift 3 the flap I5, the member 9 will raise the extension 15 as the member 9 swings outward. On the member 9 a knob 25 is affixed so that this member can readily be moved by hand.

Preferably the flap 15 will be provided with a second circularly curved strip or track 26 parallel to the strip [9, and terminating at one end near the corner at the top of the outer edge of the member 9. At this point the track 26 will have a small hole 21. On the door at the upper outer corner is a stud 28 which is disposed in a small casing 29 aflixed to the inner face of the door. The stud 28 projects through a hole in one end of the casing, and is forced into projecting position by a spring 30, the stud having a collar or stop 3| which retains it in the casing 29. When the member 9 isfully opened, the stud 2B enters the hole 21, and the member 9 is thus held against movement till the cabinet is to be closed and swung back into the closet.

The lower end of the door also carries on its irmer face near the bottom, a tray or compartment 32 open at the top and in position to be swung back under the body of the cabinet 2. This section 32 adds to the capacity of the cabinet, and is closed by the bottom 6. When the cabinet. is opened, everything stored in the section 32 can of course be taken out.

The cabinet is thus very simple and inexpensive in construction, and it constitutes a very convenient fixture that is always on hand for use.

The cabinet is attached to the wall by means of. slots 34 with enlarged lower ends in the back 3, so that the slots can he slipped over the heads of nails or studs 35 driven into the wall I. The cabinet is then lowered so that it hangs from the studs in the upper ends of the slots, which are narrower than the heads of the studs 35, so that it cannot slip off the studs and drop. The top I of the cabinet has a recess in its under face at the front edge to receive the stud or catch 28 when the member 9 is shut.

The cabinet of course can also be mounted on the inner or outer face of a hinged door or panel controlling entrance to a closet or recess in the wall I. When attached to the inner face of such a door or panel, the cabinet is completely housed in when the door r panel is closed.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

A cabinet to be mounted on a support in a room, comprising a casing having a top, bottom and sides, the bottom being above the floor of said room, and a closure member for the front hinged along one edge to one of said sides, said closure being of such length as to extend below the. casing towards the. floor of the room, the closure member having a roller caster to, engage the floor, the casing also having a shelf hinged atone end to the top, said shelf resting on the closure member when said member is open, and hanging down over the said member when said member is shut, said shelf having a transverse curved metal track on its lower face adjacent the. hinged end and the closure member having an anti-friction member adjacent its upper edge to engage said track, said shelf also having a transverse curved metal track on its lower face adjacent its outer end, and the closure member having a spring-pressed catch adjacent its upper outer corner, the second-named track having a cavity to receive the end of the catch when the closure member is fully open, said tracks being concentric with the hinged edge of the closure when the shelf is raised, and extending from one edge of the shelf towards the opposite edge, and a tray carried by said closure member near its lower end to be swung under the casing when the closure is shut.

JACK M. DINKEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,179,017 McVicker Apr. 11, 1916. 1,322,385 Wilson Nov. 18, 1919 1,597,834 Scudder Aug. 31, 1926 1,742,904 Follmer Jan. 7, 1930 1,777,683 Starker Oct. 7, 1930 1,913,387 Hayward June 13, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 231,616 Great Britain Apr. 9, 1925 

